Doctors 'withholding cancer drug information'
Thursday 28th August 2008
Some medical professionals in the UK are withholding information about costly new cancer drugs from patients, those with hospital doctor jobs may wish to note.
In a survey conducted by Myeloma UK, a quarter of specialists questioned admitted they keep facts about treatments available for bone marrow cancer to themselves because they may be difficult to obtain on the NHS.
The doctors said they did so in order to avoid causing distress, upset and confusion among patients if the medication was not approved by the NHS or the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), an independent organisation which provides guidance for the health sector.
"Post-code prescribing is rife in the UK with some patients getting access to life extending treatments ahead of a NICE decision whilst others are left to die," stated Eric Low, chief executive of Myeloma UK.
He added that his organisation wishes to liaise with the Department of Health in order to find a solution to the problem.
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